The present invention involves a method of finding the starting position to bend a radius on a hollow piece of metal tubing, thereby ensuring the centerline of the newly arced tubing will align to an existing piece of tubing, for flaring and installing a coupling between the new and existing tubing or bulkhead adapter.
There are many applications that involve bending metal tubing using a radius block. The tubing is manufactured in various size diameters and the tubing can be bent into specific angles using various size radius blocks. The radius blocks are installed onto a tube-bending device that rotates the radius block by using a hand crank and a combination of reduction gears to forcefully rotate the radius block and arc the tubing into the desired angle. Most of these tube-bending devices are mounted to a shop table or a tripod stand. For smaller tubing there are small hand-held tube-bending devices that are excellent. All of these tube-benders have a starting angle of 0 to 180 degrees index on the radius block. The degree index marks aid the technician in bending the tubing to a specific angle; as an example, the technician may rotate the handle of the tube-bending device, rotating the tubing radius block and bending the tubing to a 90-degree angle. The problem occurs in the alignment of the centerline of the newly arced tubing with the centerline of an existing piece of tubing that the technician is trying to bring into line. The index mark only references the angle of the bend and not the alignment of the bent tubing. The alignment of the centerline of the curved tubing and the centerline of the existing tubing are the most critical aspect of tube bending. If the bending radius starts too soon or too late, the centerline of the new and existing tubing will not align and will be offset to each other. The new tubing, or a part of it, will be wasted, especially if the tubing has more than one bend. If the technician is using a top grade of stainless steel tubing, such as aerospace workers use, the waste would be expensive.
Some sophisticated alignment and bending apparatus are available, such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,160 Fraley (1991), which teaches a device for aligning and preliminarily supporting conduit and pipe along a predetermined rectilinear axis, with such device including a base member, an upstanding standard attached adjacent its lower end to the brace, and a jack sleeve adjustably attached to the standard. A locking device is preferably provided to selectively attach the jack sleeve relative to the standard as desired, and an alignment bar attached to the jack sleeve extends outward therefrom to support a length of conduit or pipe to align along the rectilinear axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,618 Watkins (1988) portrays a device for visually identifying the bisector of an angle, curve, line or space between two points and for visually identifying a point or points along the bisector. The device includes a base, a first arm, a second arm, an indexing assembly, at least two connection assemblies, and a sight. Yet U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,379 Pettingill (1982), shows a tube marking tool pivotally mounted in a housing such that the end of the tube can be placed in a bore provided for this purpose in the housing. A marking tool is pivotally mounted in the housing and when moved downward, relative rotational movement between the tube and the housing provides a mark on the tube at a predetermined distance from the end of said tube.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,638 Romano (1975) describes an angle trisecting device for trisecting an angle comprised of a substantial plate-like guide member having two sides meeting at right angles to form a corner.
Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,781 Melville (1994), which features a self-centering pipe axis laser guide based on the use of three parallel links spaced 120 degrees apart, which are engaged to be expanded or contracted. When expanded the links contract the inside diameter of the pipe, which accordingly establishes the center axis of the pipe. The driving means for the links is a rotating screw mounted in a base centrally located with respect to the three links. In the front of the base is a laser module whose beam is aligned with the center axis of the pipe.
Yet another example of bending tubing is U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,059 King (1990), involving a metal tube-bender which forms arcs into metal tubing by engaging a swing-arm mounted roller against a clamped tubing section and rotating the roller through an arc necessary to place the desired degree of bend into the tubing. The tubing is clamped against a forming plate that is provided with a peripheral groove of uniform radius and serves as a die for the forming operation.
Yet another type of prior art for bending tubing is U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,695 Ellis (1992), showing a bending apparatus for metal pipe and tubing which includes an upright spindle assembly. This assembly is comprised of a lower section mounted on the spindle assembly for rotational movement around the spindlexe2x80x94the lower section can be selectively moved around and engaged with the spindle assembly; an upper section which is rotatably mounted on the spindle assembly and removably connected to the lower sectionxe2x80x94the upper section includes a removable shoe bender; and a radius die positioned at the top of the spindle assembly and in pipe or tube engaging alignment with the shoe bender.
All of the above-mentioned bending apparatuses do not have a method to indicate where to correctly start the bending radius and ultimately have the centerline of the newly arced tubing aligning with an existing piece of tubing.
A further disadvantage of these alignment devices is that they do not show where to correctly start the bending radius of the tubing or the orientation, so that the newly arced tubing and the existing tubing will be in line with the proper angle and orientation or direction.
An additional disadvantage is the technician must stop the tubing fabrication to mathematically calculate where to mark the tubing to start the next radius bend.
Yet another disadvantage is that some technicians will start the 90-degree bend a little further away from the end of the tubing so that they can make an end cut and compensate for the offset at the 90-degree end where the new and existing tubing were misaligned. This method will not work when there is more than one arc in the tubing.
It is, therefore, a primary objective of the present invention to provide a tubing radius alignment tool that gives a technician the exact starting point to start the tube arcing process and ultimately align the centerline of two separate pieces of tubing.
A further objective of the invention is to provide a tubing radius alignment device that is easy to use with one hand.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a tubing radius alignment tool that references the starting and orientation marks. The technician will mark the new tubing using these starting and orientation points.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide an alignment device that will support a plastic pointing device or a prior art handheld small laser pin light.
Still another objective of the invention is to provide an alignment device with a grooved uniform radius to guide along the surface of the new tubing.
One more objective of the invention is to provide a pin laser light and or pointer holder which can be rotated from a 0-to a 90-degree angle from the tubing alignment base""s centerline.
It is desirable to obtain the foregoing in a device that is easy to manufacture and cost effective to the consumer.
Additional objectives and advantages of the present invention are set forth in part by the description that follows, and in part it will be obvious from the implementation and direct use of this invention. The objectives and advantages may be realized and attained by means of the instrumental and combinations particularly specified in the appended claims.
To achieve the following, and other objectives and advantages, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention as embodied and broadly described herein: The present invention is intended to provide a tubing radius alignment tool that gives a technician the exact starting point and orientation to start the tube bending process to align two separate tubing centerlines.
In actual operation the technician will place the tubing alignment tool on the back side surface of the new tubing and slide the device along the tubing axis until the pin laser light or pointer is pointed directly into the centerline of the existing tubing. The rotation of the tubing radius alignment tool around the axis of the new tubing will align the pointer to the centerline of the existing tubing and orient the direction the tubing will be arced. Once the centerline is defined the technician will draw a mark on the new tubing at the radius index and orientation points that are marked on the surface of the tubing alignment tool""s grooved radius block and then remove the alignment device. The technician will put the tubing in a radius block and slide the mark on the tubing to the 0-degree index mark and rotate the orientation mark to the radius arc of the die and then close the lock. Rotating the bending tool""s handle will rotate the tubing radius block and arc the tubing to the desired angle. The desired degree of angle is found on the back side of the tubing radius alignment tool. These numbers indicate to the technician to what degree the new tubing should be rotated, by using the degree index mark on the radius bending block.
With these and other objectives in view, the invention will be best understood from the consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification; with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications make no material departure from the silent features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.